Midwife appointment

[Badassbreastfeeder85]

What happens if you don't attend your booking appointment or any of the subsequent ones?

Why wouldn’t you attend them?

They will chase you up and check on you, I’d imagine at worst they could make a referral to ensure everything is okay and as it should be.

The appointments are so incredibly important for the health of you and your child, do not miss them.

Technically you have a right to decline antenatal care, but you should expect that if you've informed midwife you're pregnant that they will try to contact you. I think most NHS trusts have policies around trying to do home visits to check you understand the importance on antenatal care etc and to follow up if there are safeguarding concerns around why you're not attending.

Given that you have referred yourself or been referred to midwife services, and had appointments scheduled, I would expect they would contact you if you don't turn up. Obviously you are under no obligation to have any antenatal care but in that case, I wouldn't have referred in the first place. You'll be wasting their time by not turning up - I've struggled to get appointments with my midwife, so would be annoyed if someone is deliberately not turning up.

I've been in a position where I lost all trust in my midwife. I was able to arrange for the remaining checks (at that stage really just regular BP/urine testing) to be done at my GP surgery, with scans as before at the hospital.

Not having healthcare in pregnancy can end very badly, so please don't do that. But if you can't/won't see your midwife, you can ask to either change midwives or get checks done elsewhere.

@Peonies12 makes a good point that if you aren't going to attend, you should show them the courtesy of phoning and letting them know you wont attend. They may be less likely to then be following up with you if you explain you're not going to attend (and why)

If you don’t attend your booking appointment I would try and call you to check in. If I couldn’t contact you after a few attempts I would assume you no longer required care.

if you booked and then failed to attend future appointments I would call and do home visits to check in your welfare

Yes I wouldn't just not turn up,I've emailed to say I won't be attending. I'm 5 weeks, the appointment isn't for another 5 weeks, which seems very late, feels like they aren't bothered about making time for me, I have already answered health questions on the online record, I know my height,I have good scales so know my weight and bmi, my 2nd is 14 months so i had bloods done then and I've not contracted him or stds since then, the email says I can't bring the baby and I have no childcare,it's also ar a time I can make cause of our swimming lesson. Considering I'll be 10 weeks before I even see a midwife it's not looking likey I'll get a scan at 12 weeks,so think ill just book a private one instead

I had my first appointment at 10 weeks and had my scan at 12+2 so there can be quite a fat turn around I just just ring an explain and I’m sure they will move it

I "missed" an appointment when I was 28 weeks pregnant with my second. What actually happened was they'd told me a date then booked me in wrong for the week before.

Instead of getting in touch with me to see if I was ok, they referred me to our local family services and I had a women come out my house to essentially do a welfare check. It was ridiculous really and a waste of money/resources on their part!!

10 weeks is normal for a booking appointment, not sure when you were expecting it to take place? If you can't make the time, just call and ask if they can reschedule for a time you can do. And some services will book you in for your dating scan before they've actually seen you for your booking appointment (it doesn't have to be done at 12 weeks anyway, it just needs to be done by 14 weeks for the purpose of doing the combined screening). Obviously if you don't want any antenatal care that's up to you, but not getting your booking appointment until 10 weeks isn't much of a reason to decline care for your whole pregnancy.

Perfectly normal to have a booking appointment and then have 12 week scan booked shortly after. If you don’t have the NHS scan you won’t get the checks and the chromosome screening. Private scans are usually just for “fun” and don’t have the same health checks as the NHS ones. I don’t understand why you’d potentially deny your unborn baby healthcare tbh.

It’s normal for your booking appointment to be between 8 and 10 weeks so please don’t be put off by that.

I would attend your booking appointment (ask for a different date/time if it’s not appropriate) but then make it clear you won’t be accepting any further care, assuming you want to deliver in the hospital?

It is completely up to you what care you choose to receive and providing there are no safeguarding concerns you should be left alone, however if you don’t communicate this to the team then they will be of a duty to continue to chase you.

I had my previous appts at 8 weeks, if I want a termination for medical reasons I'd rather have the scan as close to 12 weeks, which both of my previous scans were,if I didn't have it untill 14 weeks the baby is so much further along, the place id potentially book at does do nucal scans and anomaly scans, he's a fetal medicine specialist

Had my first midwife at 10 weeks then had my scan at 12 week think you’re being a bit hasty

It seems like you're over reacting slightly.

Well that was Insanely helpful and didn't answer what I asked

It would be noted on your notes as a red flag at whatever point it became apparent you weren’t accepting ante natal care. Constance Marten wouldn’t accept ante natal care and claimed to be going private and look how that turned out.

constance Martin also had pre existing safeguarding concerns!

I'm not planning on living in a tent and killing my baby

I’m sure you’re not, but it’s a red flag for safeguarding. I’m not saying this means SS will be involved and I don’t think they will if you don’t raise any other red flags, but it’s certainly not the norm in the UK with our free healthcare system and is therefore a potential concern.

10 weeks is when I've had all my booking apps with all 4 of my children.
DD is 17 so even back then it was at 10 weeks and still the same now.
I've had all my scans done at 12 weeks too.

10 weeks is pretty typical for booking appointment. It won’t affect timing your 12 week scan. There’s not much point in booking appointment being earlier. I can’t see how ducking out of it will help you? Don’t rely on private scans. They’re not the same as NHS scan. If you are concerned about abnormalities, get a private NIPT. Think of your baby first.

I've also had all my booking appointments at around 10 weeks and still had scans at 12 weeks, I really don't think it's a case of that they army making time for you? Once your details are processed to make a booking appointment they are also entered into the system for a scan to be booked, I've never had a scan booked by a midwife it's all been done separately by the hospital. Like others have said it's totally your choice what you do but I'm not quite sure what else it is that your expecting them to do for you at such an early stage.

I think you are being a bit melodramatic. Its pretty standard for the booking appointments to be at 10 weeks, and with both of mine the scan wasn't booked then, but merely confirmed by the midwife. I'd already got a letter with the date

Same, my scan was booked separately not at the booking appointment